Times Three

One of the absurd ironies of the United Methodist appointment process is this: the “top” appointments are to single-point charges which often include professional staffs to carry out the administrative needs of the congregation, thus allowing the senior pastor to focus on preaching, delegation of duties, and whatever else he/she may find appealing. The “bottom” appointments, however, are often to multiple-point charges that effectively require the pastor-in-charge to fulfill all of the necessary functions not just for one, but in the case of the Tri-Church Parish for three separate congregations. This ecclesiastical juggling act was further compounded by an interdenominational aspect of the Uehling church actually being United Church of Christ. Just Sunday morning by itself became a logistical challenge with an early service at Uehling (approximately seven miles south of Oakland), a middle service at Oakland First, and then a third service for the rural crossroads Westside UMC which was approximately seven miles west of Oakland. As you might expect, the Uehling UCC congregation did not use the same hymnal as the two United Methodist churches, and each congregation understandably held on to a certain degree of wanting to do things their own unique way, so the pastor’s responsibility on Sunday morning was not just to repeat the same worship service multiple times but rather to conduct three distinct worship services. I had my work cut out for me.